The Promise
by Guinevere McAdam
Summary: Set four months after the events of Skins Fire. Emily visits Effy in prison, though she is still healing from the tragic loss of Naomi and still very angry about the time Effy stole from her.
1. Chapter 1

The visiting room of the prison was bright, in comparison to the darkened souls the building itself housed. That was the first thing that Effy thought as she entered the one area of the prison she had yet to step foot in for the past four months. In all of that time, not a single person had visited, and Effy had vaguely begun to wonder if perhaps even her family had forgotten about her. She scanned the room as they took the handcuffs off, expecting to see Tony there, the same ever-present smirk gracing his facial features. Instead her eyes fell upon a familiar small brunette and she found herself rooted to the spot. Emily Fitch was, after all, the last person she'd expected to come visit her in prison.

She thought back to when she had last seen the young woman, four months beforehand, curled up in Naomi's lap in the hospital, sobbing as the woman she had loved since middle school slowly faded away. Effy blinked back tears at the memory. This wasn't right, she thought to herself, this wasn't what she deserved.

When Emily saw her, she smiled sadly and gestured to the chair on the other side of the table that she was sitting at. Effy nodded, then sat down, eyeing the younger woman curiously.

"What are you doing here?" the question was blunt, perhaps a bit rude, but Emily seemed to not be paying attention, her eyes glued to Effy's face, a glimmer of horror igniting her dark brown eyes. Effy looked at her curiously, then brought her hand to her right cheek, wincing as her fingertips traced the rather large, horizontal scab. "Right… wouldn't give someone my dessert." She said by way of explanation, and Emily's eyes widened even more, something Effy wouldn't have thought was possible.

"It looks worse than it is." She said, hating that the cliché had come from her mouth but scared that if she didn't do something to calm Emily down the girl would bolt like a frightened rabbit. It seemed to work, but only slightly as Emily shifted a bit in her seat.

"She… she made me promise to visit you." Emily finally said after a moment, and Effy nodded, satisfied. She really should have figured that Emily wouldn't have come here voluntarily. She had received an incoherant phone call from Gina, Naomi's mother, two weeks after she'd been locked up, and had known that her best friend had finally succumbed to the cancer that had been slowly shutting down her body. Effy had been unable to do anything, only stare at the wall in front of her as Gina sobbed over the phone. Now, though, she found her eyes misting over slightly and blinked back tears.

"Ah…" Was all that Effy said, drumming her fingers on the tabletop. She really wasn't sure what to say, the anger over what had happened was still very much evident on Emily's face, and she could have sworn that there were lines creasing her forehead that hadn't been there four months ago. "Gina called me… when it happened…" she said, trying to fill the silence. Pain filled Emily's face and Effy immediately regretted the words.

"That's because I couldn't." she said simply, her eyes relentlessly betraying the strength in her voice. "I was… I am… so angry at you. I know she didn't want me to know, but didn't you think that I had the right to?" the words spilled out in a rush, and it took Effy a moment to fully comprehend them. As soon as she had, Emily took another breath and began to speak again. "I still feel like you stole that time from me, I would have left New York, taken up a job in London, been with her-"

"She didn't want that." Effy said, tone monotonous to keep her voice from cracking. Emily's eyes narrowed.

"What about me? I would have wanted to be there for her." Each word fell upon Effy's ears like an accusation, a barrage of bullets aimed at her heart. She took a deep, shaky breath and looked Emily square in the eye.

"And put your life on hold so that you could hold your dying girlfriend? Naomi didn't-"she hadn't gotten through a second sentence before Emily jumped up from her seat, leaned forward, and slapped her _again. _Effy took it, she had seen it coming.

"I would have given my life for hers, you fucking cunt!" Emily exclaimed, and Effy watched as tears escaped her chocolately brown eyes. A couple of guards stepped forward, and Effy shook her head. Surprisingly, they didn't interfere.

"I know. But you wouldn't have been able to." She said softly, watching as her words registered inside of Emily's brain. Just like that, Emily's face crumpled and she turned, exiting the room, sobbing. Effy sat back down in her chair, eyeing the various inmates and their visitors who had stopped to stare at the momentary scene the two women had caused.

"Stonem!" a guard barked, "No lounging unless you have a visitor!"

Effy rolled her eyes before heading over to the door she had come in from, allowing herself to be handcuffed once more so that she could be taken to her cell. She was certain that Emily wouldn't be visiting her again.

She couldn't have been more wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I don't own Skins or any of the characters, but I stand by my opinion that Jess Brittain ruined Skins. Despite her soullessness I am giving Emily and Effy their happy endings while at the same time remaining faithful to the new season because the thought of Emily visiting Effy in prison just didn't leave my mind for hours after I watched part 2 of Fire. It may not be an immediate bit of happy, but it will be worth the read, loves. 3 Thank you, everyone who commented on chapter one. It really means a lot. Keep reading and I'll keep writing! XOXO- Gwen**

* * *

Effy stared disparagingly at the imitation-Bakelite tray in front of her; the pureed vegetable matter that they said was corn, the shoe sole that they swore was a piece of beef, the tasteless mashed potatoes and the tiniest brownie square that she had ever seen. It was disgusting, but it was barely food, and as she reached for the brownie, the only item that she'd deemed acceptable looking, she felt somebody tap her shoulder. The brunette bit her lip and looked up at the ginger girl, trying to keep her expression nonplussed.

"Yes, Lila?" she asked, her tone of voice carefully neutral. Lila had been Effy's cellmate for her first week in prison, but had gotten herself a trip in solitary for a few days and in that time another girl had come along. That was how it went- if you were in solitary for more than twenty-four hours you ran the risk of being "relocated" to another cell after you got out. Effy had personally never been.

"Hello babes! I was wondering if you'd forgotten about our little deal." Lila said with a wide grin that screamed _I'm fucking mental and I will stab you in the neck. But you won't die because I'm not smart enough to know where any major arteries are. _Okay, so maybe Effy had added that last part in her head, but it was entertaining and she had to hold on to whatever entertainment she could get in this dismal place. The redhead gestured to the brownie that Effy's fingers were mere centimeters away from touching. Effy sighed.

"Come on, doll!" the blonde had noticed her hesitation. _Shit! _Effy thought to herself as Lila slowly bent down until her mouth was close to her the brunette's ear. Effy winced when she whispered, breath warm against her flesh but cold in tone.

"Wouldn't want to fuck up that pretty face even more, yeah?" she asked, a small chuckle escaping her. Lila ran one finger lightly down the healing wound on Effy's cheek, and Effy felt that familiar rage rise up inside of her, the cold, calculated Stonem genes taking hold of her for a few moments. Without a second thought, Effy turned her face to meet Lila's and brought her lips squarely upon the other girl's in a passionate kiss. If it worked on men, Effy reasoned, it was bound to work on a woman who's been incarcerated with nothing but other women for nearly three years. She was faintly surprised when Lila pulled away, a strangled "What the fuck you bloody lezzer bitch?" escaping from her throat in a rush. Effy just looked at her, grinning.

"Come on, _babes, _can't say you didn't like that, yeah?" a few of Lila's crew were staring, now, and Effy could feel their eyes boring holes into her as they tried to figure out what was going on. It was obvious, what Effy was trying to do. Unfortunately for her, Lila Macintosh wasn't exactly the easiest person to snare. Even with the Stonem genes on her side, as Lila's eyes narrowed she realized that she was going to have to up find another plan, and as Lila's fist met her face, Effy's last thought, before falling out of her seat and landing on the hard tile of the cafeteria floor, was that at least this meant Lila might get some more time in solitary. She would be able to eat dessert in peace for a few days, at least, and that was something to look forward to.

* * *

When Effy came to in the hospital wing, the nurses did a few tests to make sure she wasn't concussed and sent her back to her cell. She'd missed what she'd begun to call "playtime," when all of the women were allowed an hour outside in the yard, fenced in like cattle. Effy had never played very well with other women, and so she had chosen to either sit in the corner of the yard and read on good days, and sit in the library and read on bad days.

She got back to her cell and glanced at her cellmate, Marisol. The chubby blonde, who sometimes reminded her of Panda, sat on the edge of her bed, eyes wide.

"I can't believe you fucking snogged Lila. Effy, you're crazy." She said, and her voice was so full of wonder that Effy had to let one of her curious half-smiles slip for a moment.

"Slightly." She agreed, laughing slightly as she plopped down onto her own bed, laying back and staring at the ceiling. For just a moment, when she'd carelessly kissed Lila, she'd felt like her old self again. Reckless, impulsive, intense, all good words to describe what she had done. When was the last time she'd behaved like that? Oh yes, when she'd decided that shagging her boss and obtaining illegal information was a good idea. Effy sighed. Just another glorious fucking day in incarceration.


	3. Chapter 3

**I had no idea when I started writing this fic that so many people would enjoy it. Actually, I expected the opposite response, as I know how badly Fire hurt a lot of the Skins fandom, and since this continues where Fire left off, I wasn't sure if people would love it or hate it. I'm glad the reviews have been positive! **

**This chapter is for all of you lovely readers, obviously, but it would not have happened without the help of kaomiontherun, who prompted a great idea about a chapter with an Emily POV. 3 So enjoy, and feel free to review, the third chapter of my continuation to Fire. **

Emily walked through the metal detector for the third time in the past five minutes. First, she'd forgotten that she still had her earrings in, then she'd left the key to her flat in her pocket, and then she'd reluctantly had to take off the anklet that Naomi had bought for her in Goa. This third time through, the wand that was being waved over Emily's person didn't make a sound, and the guard cleared her entry. She followed another guard into the visitor's room, where several other prisoners were talking, laughing, or yelling at friends and family members. Emily glanced around, suddenly conscious that she was the only visitor who didn't yet have a visitee. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a flicker of relief ignited. Maybe Effy would say no, maybe after the way the last visit had gone, Effy wouldn't want to see her. Then, it wouldn't be her fault if she stopped visiting.

She didn't understand why Naomi had asked this of her, had made her swear to visit Effy when she still harbored so much anger towards her.

_"Don't be angry at her, be angry at me." _Naomi had insisted, voice weak, those beautiful blue eyes tired and filled with so much sadness that Emily had been rendered absolutely speechless for a few moments by the internal conflict that raged within her. How could she be angry at the woman she'd planned on loving for the rest of her life? The thought was ludicrous, even moreso now that Naomi was… gone.

God, she thought to herself, you really are pathetic Emily. You can't even think the word "dead" in reference to her.

Emily was startled when the door that led to the prison cells swung open. She looked up, hoping that it was any other prisoner, but of course there stood Effy Stonem in the doorway being frisked by a security guard. She caught the brunette's ice-blue eyes as they rolled skyward and Emily couldn't help but smirk, knowing that Effy was having a difficult time biting her tongue and keeping her eyes from displaying their normally piercing glare as the guard searched her for any sort of contraband.

When the search was done, Effy wandered over casually to the table, as though she hadn't just been uncuffed and frisked right in front of Emily.

"Hey." She said, sitting down, squirming a bit. Emily could tell the blue-eyed girl was uncomfortable, and so was she, to be honest. She hadn't intended on coming back, but after a phone conversation with Katie, of all people, the night before, she had laid awake all night thinking about what it was like in prison, whether or not Effy's psychosis was returning and if she was going mad again.

Effy's propensity for instability worried her, it had ever since her "goodbye party" back when they were in college. As angry as she was at her, she vaguely understood why Naomi had insisted Emily check up on her, make sure that she was holding up all right.

"Hi." She finally said, hoping that her tone of voice was enough of an apology for the way that she had behaved the other day. Effy nodded, seeming to understand what the one word meant. Since she spoke in fragments, it was only natural that she serve as an interpreter when other people did the same thing.

"So… seducing a woman is really fucking difficult." Effy said, the blunt words slipping off of her tongue easily. Emily blinked a few times, not sure if Effy was being entirely serious. Effy laughed. "Fucking hell, Ems, don't look so shocked. I'm in prison, how else am I going to get a shag around here?" she asked, tone cavalier. Emily chuckled softly, sadly.

"You really haven't changed as much as you'd like people to think, have you?" she asked, and for a moment anger flashed through Effy's eyes and she felt her own anger rise up a bit in response.

"Maybe not, but neither have you." Effy retorted, voice steady. "You're not doing this because you want to. You're doing this because somebody else asked you to and you couldn't say no."

"Of course I couldn't say no, she was fucking dying!" Emily shot back, breath catching in her throat as soon as the words had left her mouth. "Maybe you could deny somebody's last request, but I have a conscience." Her words were certain, her mind was buzzing with fear. As angry as she was, Emily hadn't wanted to come here and confront Effy.

"I never denied Naomi anything that she asked for." Effy said after a moment, and Emily felt a lump rise in her throat. "Isn't that why you're mad at me? Because I didn't call you when she was begging me not to?" Shit, I'm going to cry, Emily thought to herself as the lump in her throat threatened to become a sob. She choked it down, trying to keep her eyes on Effy's. It was difficult, though. It was always difficult looking Effy directly in the eye because you could see how intently she was studying you. Now, though, it seemed like Effy was almost allowing herself to be studied, and Emily nervously chewed on her lower lip.

"I…. she…. You're right." Emily said. "I'm mad at you for exactly that. Because… because I wasn't there for her, and you didn't deserve to be the one holding her when she was sick, cleaning up her vomit, keeping her cool when she was burning up…Dom told me that story, you know…" she said, and had the conversation been less serious the shock in Effy's eyes would have made Emily laugh. "We talk sometimes, he tells me about some of the things I missed when Naomi was sick… I tell him about how Naomi and I used to be, before… everything." She had thought that after four months Naomi's passing would have been easier to accept, but it wasn't, and Emily felt tears threaten to spill from her eyes. She took a deep, shaky breath. "I won't say I'm sorry, though, because I'm not." She said finally. Effy nodded.

"Well, for what it's worth… I really am sorry." The words were so low that Emily had to lean forward across the table to hear them, and she nodded at Effy.

"I know. But I'm still mad, and that's going to take time." She said softly. Effy nodded.

"Em, one question…" Effy asked suddenly, and Emily cocked her head to the side.

"Yeah?"

"How do I seduce a girl?" she asked, and Effy Stonem sounded so helpless and confused that at that moment Emily had to at least snicker a little bit, lips curling up into a wry smile.

"Wow, Effs, erm… well I can't give you lessons exactly, but…. Gifts are a good starting point." She said finally, and Effy rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, gifts. I'll give her a bottle of toilet wine and a shiv." Her incarcerated friend said dryly, and Emily managed a small chuckle.

"Whatever works." She shrugged, and for a moment it was almost like they were the Effy and Emily from last year, full of promise and hope, and caring…

Emily couldn't fool herself, though. Things were different, they would always be different, and would never again be what they once were. Now that Naomi was gone from both of their lives, and Emily was left picking up the pieces in London while Effy was behind bars, everything was so mercilessly fucked that Emily could barely wrap her head around It all.

When the prison guards announced that visitation time was over Emily found herself mildly relieved. If it hadn't been for her promise to Naomi, she would leave this place an never look back, she thought to herself as she got up and hugged Effy.

"See you next week, then." Emily said, trying to sound chipper. Effy smirked.

"Sure you can handle it?" she asked, Emily shrugged.

"Only one way to find out."

As the prisoners were escorted out of the visitors lounge, Emily sighed. She really wasn't sure if she could handle driving to the prison every week to see Effy, but she somehow had to make peace with it.

The cab ride home was hot; Emily felt her eyes droop shut and was thankful that they had a ways to go before reaching her small flat. It gave her the chance to nap.

_Cold. It was cold in the hospital room, because Naomi was feverish and Emily had raised a fuss with the nurse until she'd gone through the proper channels to turn up the temperature in the room. Naomi had been dozing off and on all day, her doctor had told Emily that they were looking at two days, maybe three. Emily still didn't want to believe it. _

_She stroked the side of Naomi's face, and to her surprise her love's beautiful cerulean eyes fluttered open. _

"_Ems…" Naomi said, voice hoarse, and Emily reached for the glass of water on the bedside table, She let Naomi take a small sip from the glass before setting it back down on the table. This was the love of her life, despite her nearly-skeletal structure and patchy, barely-there light brown fuzz on her head. Emily thought she was still beautiful, and she knew that she always would. _

"_Shh, babes, drink this. You haven't been staying hydrated…" she said, trying to keep her voice as calm and level as possible. Naomi rolled her eyes. _

"_Ems, I'm dying, I don't think staying dehydrated is going to fix that." She said. Her voice was hollow, and it hurt Emily that she'd given up, but the brunette wondered if it was maybe time to start facing facts, to stop clinging to false hope. _

_She shrugged the thought off and snuggled closer to Naomi, placing one arm around her frail form. _

"_You're not allowed to die, okay? Remember, we're going to grow old together. Once you get better, we're getting a puppy and moving somewhere, maybe Italy…" Emily bit her lip nervously as Naomi sighed. _

"_But…" _

"_No buts. We'll spend our days in café's, eating delicious Italian breads and chatting with the locals, until we eventually become locals. Remember? That was the plan." Emily kissed Naomi softly on the cheek, and Naomi sank into the bed, looking over at Emily. _

"_I love you, Emsy. You're always so full of hope, so positive… but Ems, I want you to promise me something, okay? Promise me, if things don't work out like we want them to…"_

"_They will, everything's going to be fine." Emily interrupted her and the blue-eyed woman glanced sharply in her direction. _

"_But if things aren't fine… if I die… and for god's sake Em, don't interrupt me because you know me dying is a very fucking likely possibility…" Naomi had to catch her breath for a moment, she laid her head back on the pillow and was so still that Emily began to worry. Then, her eyes flew open again. _

"_If I die, please… visit Effs in prison. You know I would if I could." She said slowly, and Emily blinked. _

"_But I… she…." Emily began, about to argue that Effy was the reason why they were spending time in a hospital bed instead of out and around London, spending what could be their last year together. Naomi took her hand and squeezed it _

"_No buts, remember? If I die, you need to visit Effy regularly. You're going to need her, and she'll need you. Please… for me." _

_At that, Emily grit her teeth. _

"_Just like you, playing the dying card." She said jokingly. Naomi snorted. _

"_Oh, totally like me. You'll do it, then?" she asked, and her voice cracked. Emily held the water glass to her lips again and while Naomi drank she responded. _

"_Yes. Okay, I'll do it. But only IF it happens." she answered, not even concerned that she may have to make good on her promise. As far as she was concerned, Naomi was going to live. She didn't know how this miracle was going to happen, just that it had to because this was the woman she loved and if it didn't she was going to lose her mind. _

Emily awoke as the taxi was pulling up to her flat, nearly able to smell the hospital room that she and Naomi had been curled up in so many months ago. Tears stung her eyes, and she couldn't look at the driver as she paid him and exited the car, ready to face another night home alone.


End file.
